Fire alert over world’s cheapest car

Tata Motors is considering precautionary checks on the world’s cheapest car following reports of three Nanos catching fire due to steering column faults, the Indian car manufacturer said.

Short circuits in the combination switch, which controls the Nano’s headlights, windscreen wipers and indicators, reportedly caused fires in three of the £1,300 cars, one each in the Indian cities of New Delhi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad.

While denying a recall of the car, Tata has said it may carry out checks on new Nanos to look for the technical glitch.

A spokesman for the company said: “We do not believe this is generic and we are not considering any recall.

“However, a pre-emptive check may be carried out on cars that are to be handed over or those that are with customers, purely as a precautionary measure.”

The firm, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover in the UK, may also check the 7,500 units that have already been delivered so far across India.

All cars were reportedly parked when the fires started, and no one was injured in the incidents.

The “people’s car” was launched in March this year, targeting middle-class families who normally commute by motorcycle.

A spokesman for Tata Motors in the UK said the firm had examined the Nanos from Ahmedabad and Lucknow and there was no fire.

“These two cars had some minor smoking, but no fire, and a localised melting of some of the fire-retardant plastic parts,” he said.

Repairs have been carried out on both cars.

The customer in New Delhi has not taken his car to the dealership yet.